Ranmaru
by Marry Clark
Summary: In the early afternoon, under a gray sky… Ranmaru and his parents were on their way to an art gallery… "Did you remember everything, Ranmaru?"
1. Chapter 1

Hi hi minna ! I'm Marry, and I'm fairly new here ! This is my first time writing a fanfiction so I hope I won't get any flames ! Also, as you can see this is highly based on the famous game IB !

I actually never played it before but my friend Eve suggested me to write a fanfiction with the Inazuma 11 characters using IB's plotline after she saw a fanart ! But to do that I need to play the game ! Eve helped me pick out the characters to replace the original characters but she refuses to spoil too much to me so I only know two characters so far :(

Ib = Kirino Ranmaru  
Guertena = Endou Daisuke

Eve says that there is going to be two more characters I will be using from Inazuma 11 GO so watch out ! EEEEH ?! I just found out there is more than one ending ! And Eve said she got the bad ending ! Ah now I am scared !

But still please enjoy !

Disclaimer ! I do not own Inazuma 11 GO ! (Level-5) and Ib (kouri) ! Please don't be mad at me ! This story will be based on whatever I do in the game and anything Ranmaru thinks or says might be what I said while playing the game !

* * *

_In the early afternoon, under a gray sky…_

_Ranmaru and his parents were on their way to an art gallery…_

_"Did you remember everything, Ranmaru?"_

_"Yes, mom,"_

_"Oh! Do you have your handkerchief? You know, the one you got for your birthday?"_

_"Yes I do, mom. It's in my hand right now,"_

_"Keep it safe in your pocket, okay? Don't lose it!"_

_"Okay mom."_

* * *

Three figures walked into an art gallery. Two of them were males and one of them was a female. The woman turned to her son, Ranmaru, and said, "Well, we're here," she was quiet for a while before she started speaking again, "… This is your first time in an art gallery, right, Ranmaru? We're here today to see an exhibition of works by an artist named Daisuke… And they don't just have paintings, but also sculptures… and all kinds of other creations!" the woman smiled happily.

"I don't doubt that even you'll enjoy it, Ranmaru."

Ranmaru smiled back at her and nodded his head. "It does sound like fun!"

His father smiled at them. "Should we get to the reception desk?"

"Ah, yes. Let's get some pamphlets as well." Ranmaru's mother replied.

The two parents walked over to the reception desk and Ranmaru quickly followed. After a few moments of waiting, he turned to his mother. "Hey, mom, can I go on ahead?"

"Hm? Really, Ranmaru… Oh, all right. Just make sure you're quiet in the gallery, okay? Don't make a ruckus! Not that there's any need to worry about you, I suppose… Don't cause the other visitors any trouble, now!" his mom agreed.

"I'll remember, mom." Ranmaru said with a nod and hurriedly walked away. He walked forward and the first exhibit he saw was a painting of one of those deep sea creatures. The fourteen year old boy shivered in fear at the ugly creature.

"That's an amazing piece of work… But it gives me the creeps," he said to himself and quickly walked to another art work. It looked like a man playing a funny looking piano and a woman that looked like she was scolding the man. Ranmaru chuckled at the painting.

"This is a funny one…" he said and turned around. He walked into another part of the art gallery and saw more paintings. All of them were really amazing, Ranmaru admitted that. But some were just plain weird and some were (like the painting of the deep sea fish) just really creepy.

In one corner of the place, Ranmaru found a beautiful sculpture of a rose. It was breathtaking. He couldn't find the right words to describe its beauty. This Daisuke guy (was that the right name? He couldn't remember) was a definite genius.

He walked a little bit more and found himself in front of the painting of the fish again. This time though he decided to read the title and the description (since he didn't read it before). Ranmaru sighed and walked back to the reception area in hopes of finding his parents.

Just as he was about to reach the reception desk, Ranmaru noticed a set of stairs. 'So there's more upstairs…' he thought to himself and quickly walked up.

There were definitely more art works up here and of course more people. Ranmaru walked forward. He noticed a man looking at a painting of a woman but paid him no heed. Next to the painting of the woman was a painting of a man hanging upside down. Curiously he walked towards it. He wanted to get a better look of the painting and read the title and description. But another male was standing directly in front of the painting and he was blocking Ranmaru's way. The pink haired male sighed and walked onwards.

Ranmaru saw another beautiful painting of a woman in a red dress. He walked closer to it and overheard the man standing in front of the painting talk to himself.

"What a beautiful woman…"

Ranmaru agreed to that.

"But I wonder if she was someone real?" the man continued to talk to himself.

The fourteen year old wondered this too.

Suddenly the man turned his head and looked at Ranmaru. The teenager jumped a little in shock.

"They say Daisuke didn't typically paint any real people."

"Really…?" Ranmaru asked back. That was news to him.

"Yeah… But there's always a chance, you know? This girl could be out there somewhere… Wow!" the man said again and turned his head back to the painting and admired it.

Ranmaru smiled to himself before nodding. "Yeah, maybe…"

He walked away, leaving the man who was talking to himself. Ranmaru saw more sculptures and paintings (he really loved the one where there were swords/knives stuck into a big ball). There was a painting of a cat and a sculpture of what he decided to call 'A Melted Alien'. His mother was right. He really did enjoy his time here.

He turned around a corner and found the biggest painting he had ever seen. The painting took up most of the space on the wall. Ranmaru walked closer to it to inspect it. Just as he read the title, the lights flickered and the music stopped. He blinked in shock. Did he do something wrong? Why was everything so quiet all of a sudden?

"… What's going on?"

* * *

Marry: HA-AH ! EVE IS SUCH A MEANIE ! SHE IS SMILING SO SOMETHING BAD MUST HAVE HAPPENED ! Uhuhu why am I such an easy to scare person… ! I am already really afraid of this game ! I just hope that I will get a happy ending unlike Eve !

Eve: Hey ! I heard that !

Marry: P-Please review minna ! Or else Eve will kill me !

Eve: WHAT ?! I will not do such a thing !

Marry: Please tell me what you guys think !


	2. Chapter 2

Marry: Hi everybody ! Thank you all for the reviews ! Eve and I were very happy ! I'm sorry I didn't update earlier, I was too busy with school projects ! And Eve's a lazybum !

Eve: Am not !

Marry: Well, here we go !

* * *

Ranmaru panicked. The silence was intimidating. He gave the huge painting one glance before jogging off towards the stairs. He ignored the mannequins that reminded him of the Power Rangers. Instead, he took note that there was nobody else. Everybody he had seen earlier was gone. He was alone. Ranmaru's worry grew bigger and he quickly climbed down the stairs – in hopes of finding his parents.

To his dismay, the lights turned off once he reached ground level again. He gasped as the only source of light was the windows. It was hard to see in the dim atmosphere so Ranmaru moved slowly. "Hello?!" He called out. No answer.

He walked towards the painting of the deep sea fish. And again, no one was around. "Mom?! Dad?!" he ran around, in search of his parents. How many corners he had turned, he didn't know. He suddenly had this idea that the huge painting upstairs had something to do with all of this. He heaved in a breath and turned around, walking away from the painting of the deep sea fish that seemed much more alive in the dark.

The pink haired teenager walked upstairs slowly, taking careful steps. One by one, and at last he reached the top of it. He looked in front of him and noticed a window. He walked forward. Suddenly, a shadow walked across the window and Ranmaru gasped. He almost stumbled backwards. Was that possibly another human being?

Quickly, he jogged towards the window. The solitude and the darkness were starting to really scare him. He tried to open the window but to little avail as the window wouldn't open. "Can anybody hear me?!" He shouted but received silence. He grumbled and sighed in disappointment. Ranmaru frowned. He turned around and walked away, when he heard somebody banging on the window.

Ranmaru yelped and froze. His eyes widened and cold sweat ran down his chin. Instead of turning around and looking for the source, he ran forward, breaking into a sprint.

After turning right a lot of times (and flinching when a painting of a cat actually _meowed_) Ranmaru found himself in front of the huge painting again. The painting (in the dim light) seemed much more mystical now.

Upon closer inspection, Ranmaru found something different. He noticed an icky shade of blue liquid leaking from behind (and below) the painting. He came nearer and slightly touched the liquid. It was… paint… "How did this happen…?" he asked himself and blinked.

He heard the sound of stamps and jumped, turning around. He saw numerous letters painted on the marble floor in red paint. He came to the realization that those letters made up 'COME RANMARU'

He was now more scared than ever. He whimpered a little and swallowed his saliva. Unconsciously, he felt his pocket for the handkerchief his mother had told him to keep safe. His mother… where was she?

Ranmaru turned around and he saw that the blue paint leaking from behind the huge painting had changed a little. Instead of just a huge blob of paint on the wall, it had now formed into two sentences.

_come down below ranmaru  
ill show you someplace secret_

His eyebrows lifted up. Someplace secret? Down below? So, does this mean that whoever or whatever wanted him to go downstairs again? He gulped as the painting of the deep sea creature flashed into mind. He didn't want to go down again. But the idea that he might find something was tempting. Maybe… just maybe…

Ranmaru gripped his fists together and he quickly ran again. He avoided the red paint on the floor that looked like blood and didn't stop until he was near the deep sea fish painting again. Something was odd.

One of the rails that avoided people from touching the painting was missing, and he saw the same blue paint from upstairs that led into the painting. He walked closer, trying to calm himself down. His breathing was unsteady from all the running and the fear he felt.

The insides of his stomach twisted. Was it okay for him to actually step on the painting? Was that even allowed? But nobody was around… and this could be the only way he would know why.

He took a step forward and gasped. His foot had sunken into the painting. How was this even possible?

"You're kidding me!" he shouted, giddy. Panic started to take over him but he quickly calmed himself down. There had to be a logical explanation for this, right? With that belief, Ranmaru quickly ventured deeper in, finding he was literally walking into the painting.

By the time he had disappeared completely into the painting (and surprisingly he wasn't wet or covered in any sort of paint) he found himself walking down another set of stairs. "A hidden passageway?" he asked himself. He took note of the blue floor and the darker shade of blue walls. He looked left and right, finding that he can go both directions. There was a painting of floating rocks on a blue background on his left and a similar painting but with a red background on his right. By conscience, he led himself to the left.

Ranmaru walked quickly. He turned away at the sight of the word 'come' written repeatedly on the dark blue wall in sky blue paint. He only needed another glance at the words to walk faster. At the end of the hallway, there was a blue door on the wall but it was blocked by a small table. On the wooden table, there was a vase and sitting in the vase there was a stalk of a light rose pink coloured rose. He admired the rose, seemingly attracted to the beauty it held. There were eight rose pink petals in total, he counted. Unaware of the smile he wore, he held the stalk in his hands, finding the action somewhat comforting.

After taking the said flower, he pushed the table to the side so that he could enter the blue door. Was this the way out? What would he find behind that welcoming yet mysterious blue door? He laid his hand on the doorknob, hesitating. Was this really the right choice? Was it even a choice in the first place? He took in a deep breath (in the same time careful not to let his finger graze the rose's thorns) and calmed down. The doorknob was twisted and he walked in.

It was a small room with walls and carpeting like the hallways outside. There was a single framed portrait of a male (or was it a female?) with teal coloured hair. His (her?) hair was long and it was flowing out of the painting. The person in the portrait also had his (HER?) left eye covered with his bangs. Ranmaru gasped at the painting. He (SHE?!) wore a beckoning smile as if telling him to come closer.

Mesmerized by the beauty (yet in the same time anxious out of fear for the unknown), Ranmaru took a few steps forward. He noticed something underneath the portrait; a description of the painting maybe? He took another step forward and his foot stepped on something hard. Ranmaru looked down. His eyebrows lifted up at the sight of a blue key that was almost invisible lying there on the blue carpet.

"What am I supposed to do with a key?" he took it, staring at it for a while before pocketing it. He looked up again and screamed.

The portrait of the teal haired person had changed. He or she was no longer smiling. Actually, it was still a smile but it was a smile so sinister it sent chills up Ranmaru's spine. His body froze from fear. Even the eyes that were originally closed were now wide open and his or her tongue was dangling out of the mouth. The teen screamed and ran out of the room, making sure the door's closed tight right behind him.

He took in deep breaths, finding it hard to believe that the portrait had changed. How was it even possible? Well, he already walked into a painting (entered it maybe) so this shouldn't be much of a surprise to him. But no matter what he said to try to calm his nerves, it never seemed to work. His knees wobbled and he had to lean against the door, sliding to the ground, just to make sure he didn't collapse. He rubbed his head. He noticed that not only his knees were shaking, but apparently his hands weren't calm either.

He squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. Where was he anyway? Was he trapped somewhere? Was this a maze, or worse, another dimension? Ranmaru chuckled. How did he even think of such a ridiculous theory? But still, it seemed possible somehow. He opened his eyes and took a glance at his surroundings. He gasped upon noticing the moved table. Didn't he push it to the side? How did it end up against the dead-end-of-a-wall? Maybe… Maybe he could find something that he missed?

The teen shot up to his feet and ran to it. Nothing. He found nothing in the vase. Then he noticed it, the piece of paper stuck on the wall beside him and next to the door. That wasn't there before either. He gulped and neared it.

"You and the rose are…? Know the weight of your own life." Ranmaru read the text out loud, finding that he had never encountered one of the words before. He looked at the rose in his hand. "Know the weight of my own life… The rose and I are something…" he repeated. Then he gasped upon realizing what the text meant. "You're kidding me! How can this rose be me?!" he shouted in shock. He was smart enough to understand what it meant. "If this rose is me, or represents me… then if it withers…"

He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples again. "No, no, no! That's impossible!" Ranmaru stole another glance at the pink rose. He stared it, almost tempted to crush it, to prove to himself that this was a joke and whatever happens to the rose wouldn't happen to him. But then he noticed that two of the petals were a little withered. He narrowed his eyes. The vase earlier still had water. Maybe he could just leave the rose in it. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to take the rose after all. The teen turned around and placed the stalk in the vase. Once the stem touched the water, the flower started to shimmer in a pink glittery light. It wasn't blinding but it still ached Ranmaru's eyes a little to watch.

He could feel it. Ranmaru could feel his tired legs filled with energy. He felt like he could sprint for another four hundred meters without slowing down. His eyes widened as the light itself disappeared, revealing a very healthy pink rose. The vase was now empty of water. "No… way…" his hand trembled as he retrieved the rose from the vase. "It's true…" he muttered, caressing one of the petals. "If the rose is healthy, so am I…" Ranmaru pressed his lips together. He turned around. He started to walk towards the other side of the hallway, seemingly ignoring the words 'THIEF' written on the walls and once on the floor in red paint.

"I wouldn't want to know what will happen if the rose dies…" he hissed through clenched teeth. His stomach twisted into multiple knots, making him think that something bad will happen. He will find a way out of here. He will find a way back to the real art gallery.

* * *

Marry: Yay ! Thanks for reading everyone ! And please do leave a review ! It will make me very, very, very happy ! By the way, just so you know, I'm going to change a number of things in the game ! But I'm not going to tell what~ Hehe !


	3. Chapter 3

Marry: WOW ! I can't believe all the reviews we are getting ! Eve was so ecstatic, she fell down the stairs of my house ! Luckily it was only for a step or two hehe

Eve: If you saw me losing my balance, you should have at least caught me ! D:

Marry: Hehe gomen ~ Now let's begin the new chapter of

Marry and Eve: RANMARU ! *giggles*

Kirino: Wha- ?

* * *

Ranmaru was surprised to find that the staircase was now gone. It was nowhere to be seen. Fear grasped his heart as he stared at the paintings that contradict each other. One was blue and the other was red. "I'm at the right place…" he said to himself, wondering where the staircase disappeared to. He sighed after many attempts of trying to find a hidden button that would reveal the staircase. "At this point there's no turning back,"

There was another hallway that led to another part of the place. His steps were uncertain as he neared the end, where he found a bright blue door. Reminded of the blue key he had in his pocket, he found that the key could unlock the door. He pushed the door open and walked in, leaving the key in the keyhole.

The pink haired male found himself in a green coloured room. In front of him, there was a hallway that led to more unknown things and to his right laid a hallway where a number of paintings of insects hung. There was a ladybug, a bee, a butterfly and a spider. Further up the hallway on the right, were framed paintings of a butterfly's life cycle. Ranmaru decided to walk to the right, inspecting the paintings as he did so and found all of them very pretty.

At the end of the hallway, he found a green door. He pushed it open and was surprised to see a huge hole on the ground. He looked in. It looked like the hole went a long way down. He tried to measure the length of the hole, since there was a door on the other side of it, and found that it was too big for him to jump across. Ranmaru stood back up and he was out of the small room.

He figured maybe he should take the other hallway. The place itself seemed like a maze that was made up of hallways. He wondered if he had actually entered a fun house found in theme parks where you had to find your way out of a big maze. The idea seemed likely but he didn't want to believe it yet. What could explain the changing painting and the disappearing staircase anyway? Magic?

There was a divider in the middle of the hallway. "Beware the edges," Ranmaru read the warning out loud and his eyebrows crooked. Why should he be aware of the edges? He shrugged and entered the hallway, walking in the middle of it out of habit.

"GAHK!" was the first thing that came out of his mouth when a hand unsuspectingly popped out of the wall on his right. He fell on his butt, his eyes staring at the trashing hand in fear. It wasn't exactly a hand; it was more like the black arm of a Devil! Complete with sharp claws and wrinkled skin and all that.

He crawled on his arms and knees, trying to get away from the hand that was grasping the air for something. For _him_. He crawled and crawled when another hand, exactly like the first one, broke the wall above his head. The hand grabbed the air, feeling for something anything. Ranmaru froze in his tracks, his body shivering from the shock and horror at seeing these ugly limbs sticking out of the walls.

Screaming, he lifted himself up and dashed forward, narrowly missing the third and fourth hands that came from both sides of the walls. The hallways echoed with his screams and just before he stopped in front of the wall that served as a dead end, another hand surprised him and its claws grazed his cheek. A drop of blood fell to the floor and the teen found himself on his ass again due to recoil. He gasped for breathe, his chest moving up and down in an unsteady pattern. His bright blue eyes blinked, realizing what just happened and he wiped his wounded cheek with the sleeves of his green shirt that seemed to blend into his surroundings now that he paid attention.

He glared at the stains of red on his favourite shirt and growled. His mom wasn't going to like that. The teen stood up, patting his clothes and his eyes glared at the hand in front of him. It had some blood on one of its fingers (or claws). As he turned on his heels to walks towards the second green door he stole a glance of the painting of an ant. 'Odd,' he thought to himself. 'Why is this bug painting the only one here?'

He ignored his sudden thoughts of interior decorating and turned the doorknob. Locked.

"Oh, damn it. What am I supposed to do now?" he muttered angrily. He kicked the door in annoyance. Because of that, the door shook and so did the walls, as if they were made by thin boards of wood. Ranmaru arched an eyebrow. The painting of the ant was now askew. He inspected it closer and was surprised to find that the painting was removable. He took it down, suddenly gaining an idea on what to do with the painting. He grinned to himself. "This should work," he said after analyzing the length of the painting. It was longer than the width of the hole in the small room. The painting was framed and the glass was definitely thick enough to support his weight. He hoped, anyways.

He realized that the hands (or claws, he didn't know what to call them now) were still there. Ranmaru rolled his eyes, annoyed. He was about to lift up the big but light weighted painting when he spotted something pink on the ground. A pink rose petal. The teenager gasped and he glanced at the rose in his pocket. There were seven petals left. He gritted his teeth. 'Great, just what I needed,'

Ranmaru marched down the hallway, skilfully dodging the hands that tried to grab him despite the burden he carried with him. He considered injuring one of the hands for revenge but dismissed the thought after seeing how violently the hands were trashing about as if they still wanted to hurt him. He wouldn't get anywhere near those ever. Well he might need to cross this hallway again in the near future but he'd make sure he'll be out of reach.

He opened the door that led to the small room and wasted no time on placing the painting over the hole. He smiled with satisfaction when the painting indeed covered it whole. No pun intended on his part.

Carefully, he stepped on the framed painting. His hand scratched the itching but painful wound on his cheek (he didn't actually realize how long it was) and grimaced in pain. When he crossed to the other side of the room (and thankfully he didn't cross over to the _other_ side) Ranmaru immediately opened the door and wasn't surprised to find himself in another room. He walked in, leaving the door wide open. There was one of the headless mannequins from the art gallery standing at the very end of the room and a lonesome painting on one wall. He looked around the green room and finally saw a green coloured key on the floor, just a few steps away from the headless mannequin. He didn't realize he was grinning when he picked up the key. "Alright! I think I'm starting to get the hang of this game! If it is a game in the first place…"

There was shuffling and Ranmaru looked up. He was surprised to find the mannequin a number of steps closer to him. He had a bad feeling about this and quickly pocketed the key. Just as he did so, a threatening voice was heard, as if it tried to scare him. In the exact same moment, the mannequin shuffled forward towards it. For a split second, Ranmaru thought the voice belonged to the mannequin. And boy was he right. Without wasting any more time (and screams coming from him) he quickly ran out of the door, forgetting to close it on the way. He didn't even stop to think twice about jumping onto the ant painting because the headless and alive mannequin was hot on his heels. The glass cracked under his weight. Before he knew it, he threw himself onto the floor and heard a loud crash coming from behind him. He breathed heavily, tired from the sudden chase. When he turned his head around, the mannequin was gone. It seemed like the mannequin was too heavy for the ant painting and broke the canvas when it tried to cross.

Ranmaru couldn't find the right words to say how relieved he was. He pushed himself up into a sitting position and inspected his rose. Two petals were slightly withered. He frowned. There had to be a vase full of water somewhere, right? The first one was already emptied by him. Maybe he would find one behind the locked door. Or maybe even better the door was the way out. Hoping greatly, he began his adventure again.

After carefully (and successfully) avoiding the hands all over again (and before he even talked to an ant. He _talked_ to a _freaking_ ant that was fantasizing about how wonderful the painting of him was; the very same painting Ranmaru 'borrowed') Ranmaru unlocked the door that led to a…

Cat-head shaped room?

The door closed behind him and on the wall facing him were two ovals beyond his reach that resembled the eyes of a cat. He wasn't sure if they were more paintings or windows or simply wall decorations. He hoped it was the former. In the middle of the wall was a fish-shaped hole. Ranmaru traced his fingers over the hole, figuring out what to do. "Perhaps… it's another keyhole?" he assumed, using his mind to think of a logical explanation. He couldn't really think of another way to put it. The previous entrance he encountered was locked and he had to solve something that resembled a puzzle. So right now, his job was to find that puzzle.

Taking a few steps backwards, he realized there were two small entrances to two different rooms on his left and right. He walked into the one on his left and was greeted by tall blocks. The block closest to him had a stickman embedded on it while the rest hid whatever was on them with red drapes. He past the first block and words written in yellow paint appeared out of nowhere under the stickman. Ranmaru flinched. He was surprised and taken off guard. 'Note to self: Never stand off guard. Ever.'

The only thing written was, "Play hide-and-seek?" Ranmaru's eyes narrowed at this. Truthfully, he was never a huge fan of the game. He played it a lot when he was a kid but at this age? The idea didn't appeal him one bit. Just as he straightened up from having to bend down to read the new words, the stickman suddenly disappeared, catching the poor teenage boy off guard again. His right eye twitched in annoyance at all the surprises he was getting.

"Let me get this straight," he said to himself and turned to the rest of the blocks. He eyed the red drapes that were in his field of vision one by one. "I'm supposed to find the stickman behind one of these curtains, right?" he asked no one. He knew he wasn't going to get an answer. So he sighed and started to choose which curtain should he pull back first.

Apparently there were yellow buttons under each drape. Ranmaru figured that maybe he would just need to push one button and the curtain will roll up. He randomly decided on one block and immediately pushed the button. The curtain rolled up and his azure eyes widened when he felt something pushing him to the back through his face. It felt like a hand. He blinked and touched his face. He felt nothing. What was that weird sensation earlier?

* * *

Marry: Really sorry for the late update !

Eve: Yeah !

Marry: But we've been so distracted by other things !

Eve: Yeah !

Marry: We hope you'll forgive us ! Don't forget to review !

Eve: Yeah !

Marry: Eve !

Eve: What ?


End file.
